Numbness

Numbness

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Any unexplained numbness—especially if it is accompanied by symptoms affecting the head, vision or an entire side of your body—needs immediate medical attention.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

It usually isn't quite as scary as a Stephen King novel, but numbness can certainly be an unsettling experience.

In most cases, the tingling sensation you feel when your arm or leg goes numb is a harmless signal that you've momentarily pinched a nerve. Once you change position, the nerve revives in a few seconds.

Numbness is also more common as you get older. "It's more likely to occur as we age because the body just doesn't bounce back as well as you get older. So the same amount of pressure on a nerve is more likely to produce numbness in an older person than a younger person," says C. Conrad Carter, M.D., a clinical professor of neurology at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland.

Another cause of limb numbness is the hyperventilation some people experience when they're anxious or afraid. While numbness usually is a harmless symptom, doctors stress that any sudden, unexplained numbness could be a sign of a serious illness and should be checked out.

Among the more serious causes of numbness are poor blood circulation, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome—a compression of the nerves of the wrist, which causes numbness in the hand and fingers.

Numbness also can be a warning sign of an imminent stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), a mini-stroke that temporarily causes symptoms of a major stroke such as paralysis or blurred vision. Without proper medical treatment, a TIA can lead to a full-blown stroke that may cause permanent physical or mental impairment.

Symptom Relief

It's important that you not belittle the symptoms you're having, even if they only last for a few minutes," cautions Gilbert Toffol, D.O., a neurologist in Phoenix. "If you have a sudden numbness or weakness in any part of your body, and there isn't a logical explanation for it, you should seek medical care immediately."

If, however, your numbness is a problem of limbs "falling asleep," here's what you can do to wake them up.

Move that body. Regular exercise such as walking, running and swimming increases blood circulation and may help reduce the numbness you feel when sitting, sleeping or standing too long. But be careful which exercise you choose to adopt. Sports such as bicycling that involve a lot of sitting can cause numbness in the groin and actually contribute to the problem, Dr. Carter says. You should check with your doctor about which exercise is appropriate for you, he advises.

Quit smoking. Smoking can impair blood circulation and increase the likelihood that you'll feel numb in your hands, arms, toes and legs.

Move the wallet. If you have numbness in a leg, it's a possibility that carrying a thick wallet or other objects in your back pockets is contributing to your problem. "Carrying a wallet in your back pocket can put pressure on the sciatic nerve that runs along the buttocks and continues down the back of the leg," says Paul Gross, M.D., a neurologist at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts. The solution? Find another place to carry your valuables.

You deserve a break. If you do a lot of repetitive tasks such as typing, knitting, sawing or hammering, you can develop carpal tunnel syndrome. If you take a break every 30 to 60 minutes and gently rotate the wrist for a minute or two, you may prevent this problem, says Alexander Reeves, M.D., professor of neurology and anatomy at the Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire.